<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Those Parting Words by ChessQueen27</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26842669">Those Parting Words</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChessQueen27/pseuds/ChessQueen27'>ChessQueen27</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Fluff and Angst</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 13:07:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,040</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26842669</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChessQueen27/pseuds/ChessQueen27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All the words unspoken. All the truths untold. There, in front of Maes Hughes’ grave as the Promised Day lay ahead of them, there were only a few words they could tell one another.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Those Parting Words</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The air was heavy that evening. The sky was getting dark. Like an ominous sign that foul deeds were about to happen. “The Promised Day”, they called it. The way everyone talked about it, it did feel like the end of days was approaching. Either that... or it was the dawn of a new beginning.Something to actually look forward to. Colonel Roy Mustang had been planning for this day ever since his best friend, Maes Hughes was killed in action by a homunculus... or so they thought... they hadn’t even found who had actually murdered him. Yet.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Roy had sworn that he’d take his vengeance on whoever had killed Maes. And it was the one thing that terrified Riza Hawkeye. His assistant, his shoulder... his everything. Week after week, she tried to keep the thoughts at bay as to how he’d react when he’d discover who the actual culprit was. It was too scary to even imagine that - she didn’t want to lose him, not over something of that sort.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">A cold breeze brushed across their faces when they were standing in front of Hughes’ grave, making Riza shudder lightly. She always made sure not to disturb him whenever he stood in front of that gravestone, sometimes entering one-way conversations that were basically a cacophony of his thoughts.She stood there, as always. In complete silence. Watching his back. The one she swore to protect with her life. Roy...</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Riza stood quietly, gazing at that back for endless moments, while Roy never uttered a word. He was as tense as she was for the upcoming battle - everything had to be perfect, everything had to be according to plan, it all had to work out like clockwork. What if it didn’t? No it had to... they needed to bring this military state of affairs to an end and remove the filth that had institutionalised itself on top, restoring back the country to its people. It wasn’t going to be easy... but they had the moral obligation. They had to.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">His back.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">They had endured so much. A difficult childhood. Their military training. The Civil War in Ishval. And all that they were going through now... and whatever was written for them both in their story... would there be a story after all this? Would they make it alive out of it?</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s2">I’ll follow you into hell if you ask me to.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">He was taking shallow breaths, Riza could hear them clearly, giving away that slight bit of anxiety that he used to have before a battle. No one knew about that tiny detail about him, except her.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <em>
    <span class="s2">There’s someone I have to protect.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Colonel...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">She spoke softly, inwardly hating the fact that she had disturbed him, yet at the same time it was their cue to start moving. Timing was of essence. One missed move, and all their plan would be in vain.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Colonel, we should start getting ready.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Right.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">In that brief moment of silence between the two, there was one thing she wanted to tell him. Not him, the Colonel. Him as Roy. Her Roy. The moment he turned to look at her, Riza’s heart stopped. That gaze was a mixture of exhaustion, determination, worry and a whole lot of other feelings that Riza couldn’t pin down in that very moment. She wanted to say so many things to him, to encourage, to remind him that he was a great leader and a great man and that everything would be alright. A son Chris would be proud of. A friend Maes would be proud of. A man she would be proud of.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Alright then...” he smiled, as no sound came out of her voice. “Let’s move out,” he told her as he made a few steps away from her.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Roy, stop,” she muttered instinctively, as she managed to take hold of his arm.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“What’s the matter? Is everything alright?” he asked, gently.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“No,” she uttered, in a faint whisper. “We’re heading straight into a battle where neither of us knows what lies ahead... I don’t even know if it will be our las-“</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Hey... hey hey...” he turned to reassure her. “Since when is my lieutenant this nervous?” he smiled back, gently placing a hand under her chin, to make her look up at him. “It’ll be alright and we’ll be victorious, I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t make such promises, we have no idea what’s going to hap-“ she paused, as Roy enveloped her in a warm embrace.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I know... but I’m not giving up. Not now. Not when our goal is so close...” he whispered as he held her against his chest, with a hint of relief as he felt her relax in his arms.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You never give up. Unlike me...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’m a stubborn bastard, Riza. You know me.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Too well...” she smiled softly.“You’re still an idiot,” she remarked, as Roy gave her an amused look.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Your idiot, Lieutenant.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Mm-hmm...” she hummed back as Roy tilted his head down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, which Riza returned instantly.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I love you too, always have,” Riza whispered faintly before reaching up to kiss him more intensely than before. More intimately. More longingly. More hungrily. Almost as if it was their last time...</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Don’t leave me...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I won’t, I swear. Have I ever?” he asked, as she rested her forehead against his, while their breaths and heartbeats were still at a far-gone high.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You did. Once. To become a soldier...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Guess who followed...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You do need someone to protect you at all times, Sir,” she chuckled as Roy gave her a gently squeeze.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“If I stray...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“I’ll make sure you won’t...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Alright...” he replied, as they rested in each other’s arms for a while. Waiting till...</span>
</p>
<p class="p1"> </p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh fuck’s sake, they’re at it again...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“REALLY?! DON’T SPY ON THEM!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Oh come on!”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“It’s not like it’s the first time, you know...”</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“YEAH BUT NOT NOW?!”</span><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“You know... if we weren’t out in a </span>
  <span class="s1">graveyard on the eve of battle... I would have actually pinned you to the ground and made love to you, just to piss them off,” Roy snickered, making Riza laugh out heartily.</span>
</p>
<p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Bully. Of course you won’t... come on... let’s get going...”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>